Blog about the religion, spirituality, history, and culture of (pre-Islamic) Arabia

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Queen Bat-Zabbai of Tadmor

Queen
Bat-Zabbai was probably the most famous ruler of Tadmor, and very
well-known as a great enemy and threat to the Romans. She was possibly
an Amalekite, like her husband, as the Amalekites were one of the more
famous tribes of Tadmor. She was the daughter of Zabbai bar Selim, an
important tribal chieftain. Zabbai was a Roman citizen, known by the
name of Julius Aurelius Zenobius, or else as Antiochus. Bat-Zabbai's
entire family was a noble one. She was descended from Queen Shamiramat
of the Assyrians, and thus from the goddess Atar'atah, her mother. She
was also a descendant of Queen Dido of Qart-Hadasht, through her
descendant Hannobaal's sister and her descendants King Juba II of
Moritanya and Drusilla. Her family was also descended from the royal
family of Homs, through King Shams'alkeram. Finally, she was descended
from Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. Like her ancestor, she spoke Egyptian
language and knew of many Egyptian customs.

Bat-Zabbai herself
was a beautiful and intelligent woman. She had a dark complexion, pearly
white teeth, bright sparkling eyes, and a strong and melodic voice. She
spoke her native tongue Aramaic, along with Egyptian, Greek, and Latin.
She was very well-versed in Homer, Platon, and other Greek writers,
along with the works of Paul of Shamishat, the Christian Bishop of
Antioch. She also was friendly with the Jewish Rabbis of Syria and was
familiar with Jewish teachings. However, it is known that her mother
Karteria at least was not a Jew or a Christian, as her tomb's
inscription calls her pious in the eyes of mortals (rather than in the
eyes of God) and denies the resurrection. Unlike her ancestor Cleopatra,
she was chaste and devoted. She was used to a very tribal lifestyle,
enjoying drinking, feasting, and hunting with the men.

By the
time she was old enough, Bat-Zabbai was married to King Odainath of
Tadmor, an Aramaean ruler and Roman citizen also known as Lucius
Septimius Odaenathus. She was his second wife, and his queen. She too
was given Roman citizenship, being known as Julia Aurelia Zenobia. She
had two children: a stepson named Hairan (who was the son of King
Odainath by his first wife), and a son named Wahballat (Roman name
Lucius Julius Aurelius Septimius Vaballathus Athenodorus). Bat-Zabbai
was very young when she married.

King Odainath was a brave
warrior king, spending much time in the mountains and forests hunting
lions, leopards, and other wild beasts. His son Hairan was (in Roman
eyes at least) effeminate and a lover of luxury. He lived in golden
tents and pavilions, and was granted many Persian concubines from a
royal harem when Odainath conquered the Persian capital of Tosfon. He
did this so that Hairan would prove himself to be worthy of being called
a man, but Hairan had no love for concubines. Odainath's services were
greatly valued by the Roman Empire, which ruled over Tadmor at the time.

But all was not well within the royal family. Odainath had a cousin,
also named Odainath, who was imprisoned for being disrespectful to the
king. When he was free, he killed both his cousin the king, and Prince
Hairan in a celebration. Bat-Zabbai then killed the assassin and had
herself crowned as queen and sole ruler of Tadmor (her son Wahballat
being only a child at the time).

Bat-Zabbai ascended the throne
during a troubled time, especially with the death of her husband.
Tadmor was part of the Roman Empire, which was in a vicious struggle
with the Persian Empire in the east. Recently, a Roman emperor,
Valerian, had been captured by King Shapur I of Persia. Her court was
filled with poets and philosophers, including the man of Homs, Platonist
philosopher Cassius Longinus. He himself studied at Alexandria in
Egypt, mother city of Bat-Zabbai, and taught in a school in Athens (one
of his students being the famous Melek of Tyre). Tadmor was also where
the camel caravans of Arabs would pass through on their way to
Mesopotamia. 'The Bride of the Desert' was the name by which Tadmor was
known, and she stood near a rich oasis and spring which watered the
land. She ruled over a great deal of land in Syria, but she wanted more.
She went and conquered areas around Syria owned by the Persian Empire,
and began to claim that she was doing it in the name of the Roman
Empire. But it soon became apparent that things were very different. She
replaced the face of the emperor on coins with that of her son,
Wahballat. She adopted the imperial title of 'Augustus' for her son. And
she began to conquer other territories within the Roman Empire in the
memory of her husband and in the name of her son. This was her declaring
independence from the Romans, and founding her own empire. The Romans
could not retaliate though, or send their legions into the east, because
they were struggling against invasions by Germanic tribes in the north.

Bat-Zabbai and her general, Zabdas, with the aid of their Egyptian ally
Timagenes, conquered all of Egypt. They were opposed by the Roman
prefect of Egypt, Tenagino Probus, but he was defeated and beheaded by
the Tadmorite forces. Once she had taken Egypt, Bat-Zabbai proclaimed
herself as Queen of Upper and Lower Egypt, like her ancestor Cleopatra.
She restored rights of protection to a synagogue in Lower Egypt which
had originally been granted by King Ptolemaios III Euergetes, probably
due to her connection with the Samaritan Jews due to the Jewish
community of Yebu's requests to King Sanballat of Tadmor for protection
400 years earlier.

She then led her armies north and conquered
all of Judah, and all of Canaan. In northern Arabia, the land of the
Nabtaeans, they captured the city of Bozrah, and famously destroyed the
temple of the ram-headed god Ammon that they found there (evidently,
they did not compare the cult of this god with the cult of their own
Baal Hammon). Everywhere they went they attacked the Roman trade routes,
capturing them to make Tadmor wealthy. They then went to Anatolia and
captured the Hatti-land, advancing as far as Ankara in Phrygia. During
these campaigns, Bat-Zabbai became known as the 'Warrior-Queen' and was a
skilled horse rider and fighter. Her empire ruled much of the old Roman
provinces in the western part of the Near East.

Meanwhile,
Aurelian was made emperor in Rome, and he quickly defeated the Germanic
tribes who were threatening to invade Italy. He now could turn his
attention to the Tadmorite Empire in the east. He invaded Anatolia and
quickly captured many cities, moving closer to the Hatti-land. He put
every city to the sword, but while he was conquering Katpatuka had a
vision of the philosopher Apollonius of Tuwanuwa, who told him to be
merciful. For this reason, Aurelian spared Tuwanuwa and any cities which
submitted to him from then on. His Roman legions advanced towards the
Tadmorite army, clearing out their garrisons in every city they
captured. General Zabdas of the Tadmorites, leading a mostly
cavalry-based army, decided that it would be best to avoid the mountains
of Anatolia due to the terrain being unsuited to his army. He withdrew
his forces to near Antioch in Syria, and waited for the Romans to
arrive.

The Roman troops advanced to Syria during a heatwave.
Those who were heavily armed were easily exhausted. Aurelian decided to
use this to his advantage. Both sides had their cavalry prepared, but it
was Zabdas who took the initiative and sent his heavy cataphracts
charging straight towards the lightly-armed Roman cavalry. The Romans
fell back and seemed to retreat, while the Syrians followed them,
growing more tired and exhausted as they went. It was then that the
Romans turned back in a surprise attack, and quickly defeated the
exhausted Syrian cavalry. Upon hearing of the defeat of his cavalry,
Zabdas ordered the army to retreat back to Antioch. At night, under the
cover of darkness, Bat-Zabbai ordered her men to leave the city and
reach the city of Homs. The next morning, Aurelian captured Antioch and
spared the city.

The Romans continued to advance toward Homs,
and met Zabdas' forces again on the plains before the city. Again,
Zabdas sent his heavy cavalry to pursue the Roman cavalry, but the Roman
cavalry fell back and allowed the infantry to come forward. This caught
the Syrians by surprise, and on the Roman side, the Jewish infantry
with their heavy clubs massacred the Syrian horsemen. Realizing defeat,
the Syrians retreated into the city. Bat-Zabbai's treasury was in Homs,
and she attempted to move it back to Tadmor. However, the Romans began
to attack the city, and she was forced to flee back to Tadmor without
it.

But the Romans continued towards Tadmor, and Bat-Zabbai was
forced to leave the city with her men. She traveled with her son
Wahballat, the general Zabdas and several officers and courtiers, and
the philosopher Cassius Longinus. It is also possible that Paul the
bishop was with them. They requested aid from King Shapur of Persia, and
he sent a small escort of Persian soldiers along with camels for the
Syrians to escape to Mesopotamia on. They rode away swiftly at night
towards the Purattu River, which they would cross and safely move
towards the Persian capital. But this escort was intercepted by the
Romans, who defeated the Persian soldiers and captured the Syrians,
bringing them back to Homs to stand trial. The Romans portrayed
Bat-Zabbai as a coward who blamed everything on her men and the poor
advice they had given her. This though, would seem to fly in the face of
the bravery and determination she had shown earlier, and it would be
easier for the Romans to regain their former territories if they
portrayed her in this way. The Tadmorite Empire had come to an end.
After putting down a short revolt in Egypt, the Romans had taken back
everything that was once theirs, including the city of Tadmor itself. At
Homs, all of those captured were found guilty. Bat-Zabbai and her
infant son Wahballat were spared, and were brought back to Rome as
prisoners. The rest, including Zabdas and Cassius Longinus the
philosopher, were executed. Aurelian chose a Tadmorite council elder
called Haddudan, who was also symposiarch of the priests of Bel in
Tadmor, to rule Tadmor in place of Bat-Zabbai. On the journey back to
Rome, Wahballat died.

Bat-Zabbai was brought in gold chains and
in triumph through the streets of Rome. However, Aurelian did not kill
her. Instead, he spared her life and granted her a villa. She married a
prominent Roman, and had many descendants. Among them was a man in Rome
called L. Septimia Patavinia Balbilla Tyria Nepotilla Odaenathiania.
Another descendent of hers is possibly St. Zenobius, the first Christian
Bishop of Florentia in Italy.

About Me

Bahathu! I am a young male Canaanite, and a devotee of El. I'm studying at school, hoping to become a writer. I also enjoy scribing my own hymns and texts. I live in a small village but hope to move to the city when I leave home. I have my own temples and hope to become a priest one day.